The Jacksonville City Council is expected to vote on new leadership Tuesday afternoon, selecting a new president and vice president for the 19-member board.

The News4JAX I-TEAM has obtained text messages exchanged in January 2025 between JEA CEO Vickie Cavey and the city-owned utility’s former chief of staff, Kurt Wilson, as multiple investigations into JEA continue and subpoenas target records tied to city officials, a canceled land deal and a lobbying contract.

A canceled land deal between JEA and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Nassau County Foundation has attracted the notice of State Attorney Melissa Nelson’s office, according to a subpoena that one of her veteran prosecutors sent last week to the utility, a copy of which The Florida Trib and News4JAX reviewed.

The Winn-Dixie Company has received approval from Jacksonville City Council for an agreement that will pave the way for a $65 million investment in the company’s local operations over the next five years.

The Jacksonville City Council’s Special Investigative Committee voted Tuesday to issue subpoenas for JEA CEO Vickie Cavey, Chief Administrative Officer Jody Brooks and former JEA legal counsel Regina Ross as part of its ongoing investigation into the city-owned utility.

As a Jacksonville City Council investigative committee expands its review of JEA’s workplace culture and other allegations, the Jacksonville Civic Council is urging council members to drop the probe altogether.

A Jacksonville City Council investigative committee is expanding its review of allegations of a toxic work environment and racism at JEA, the city-owned utility.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier’s office sent a subpoena in recent days to JEA for records relating to a controversial lobbying contract that the agency’s CEO nixed at the beginning of the year.

A News4JAX request for public records stemming from the ongoing controversy surrounding JEA triggered a cost estimate from the city of Jacksonville for nearly $4,000.

Former JEA board chair Joe DiSalvo testified as City Council’s investigative committee continued its review of workplace culture and capacity fees. Members discussed attorney-client privilege and possibly expanding the probe.

JEA received a subpoena on Friday from State Attorney Melissa Nelson’s office seeking a broad swath of communication records about the agency’s CEO, Vickie Cavey, as well as discussions involving City Council President Kevin Carrico and a high-powered lobbying firm that employs former Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry.

Along with workplace culture concerns, the Jacksonville City Council’s Special Investigatory Committee is looking into whether JEA failed to collect millions in “capacity” fees that help pay for water and sewer infrastructure over several years.

Jacksonville City Council’s Rules Committee delayed JEA board appointments for Randy Wyse and Joe DiSalvo, citing ongoing investigations and internal questions at the utility. Mayor Deegan supports pausing appointments.

The News4JAX I-TEAM is investigating who is behind a mysterious anonymous text message sent to hundreds, if not thousands, of people across North Florida regarding JEA.

Former JEA chief of staff Kurt Wilson testified before Jacksonville City Council’s investigative committee, describing a fearful workplace culture. Members discussed employee surveys, disputed capacity fees and witness access, as critics warned of overreach.

JEA said it is launching an independent review and an employee engagement survey after recent allegations about workplace culture.

The Jacksonville Branch NAACP requested that Council President Kevin Carrico wait until the conclusion of the investigations surrounding JEA before appointing the utility’s next board member.

The Special Investigatory Committee that was formed by City Council President Kevin Carrico to help review unpaid capacity fees owed to JEA held its first meeting on Tuesday.

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan criticizes a new City Council investigative committee targeting JEA, calling it politically charged. Council President Kevin Carrico says the panel will subpoena witnesses and review disputed fees, workplace allegations.

Jacksonville’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) has launched an investigation into the city-owned utility JEA over millions of dollars in potential unpaid capacity fees.

City Council President Kevin Carrico has confirmed to News4JAX that the city’s Inspector General is looking into “serious allegations” against JEA, adding a new layer to weeks of public sparring between the utility and City Hall.

Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico announced Thursday he is nominating Randy Wyse to serve on the JEA Board of Directors — a closely watched appointment after weeks of controversy involving board selections, leadership allegations at the utility, and a subpoena seeking Carrico’s JEA-related communications.

The executive committee of JEA’s Board of Directors made an unusual -- but expected -- move on Monday, opting to forego the traditional succession of leadership as controversies swirl around the city-owned utility.

All eyes will be on JEA as one of its board committees gets ready for a key meeting on Monday, where the city-owned utility’s board chooses its leaders for the next year.

Jacksonville City Council member Jimmy Peluso is calling on Council President Kevin Carrico to temporarily step aside from his leadership position while records are being reviewed following a subpoena tied to Carrico’s communications about JEA.

Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico has been issued a subpoena about one week after text messages revealed that he was going to nominate someone for a position on JEA’s board because he owed them a “big favor.”

Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico is calling for an independent, outside review of allegations involving leadership and workplace culture at JEA, while also responding directly to questions about the “big favor” wording in text messages tied to a JEA board appointment.

Tensions ran high at the JEA Board of Directors meeting on Tuesday as the former chief of staff heavily criticized the CEO’s leadership and doubled down on allegations that she has created a toxic workplace culture.

During a board meeting Tuesday amid rising tensions over leadership, JEA Vice Chair Ricardo “Rick” Morales III admitted that he privately asked CEO Vickie Cavey to resign after he said employees voiced concerns to him about a “toxic” workplace culture at the city-owned utility.

Former Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry pushed back Monday, just days after a news conference in which Mayor Donna Deegan and JEA officials addressed allegations about the utility’s culture and leadership.

A “big favor” text about a JEA board appointment sparked scrutiny, a nominee’s withdrawal and new leadership allegations. Mayor Deegan and JEA leaders defended the CEO, urging transparency.

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan and JEA CEO Vickie Cavey will answer questions Friday at City Hall as the city-owned utility has become mired in yet another controversy.

The Jacksonville City Council president, who is under scrutiny following controversial text messages to a JEA board member, blasted the city-owned utility on Thursday, saying he’s heard allegations of racism and a toxic culture within the organization.

Support is growing for JEA board member Arthur Adams Jr. after text messages revealed that Kevin Carrico asked him to step aside, citing a “big favor” he owed to his boss at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida.

The leader of the Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida has withdrawn his name from consideration for a spot on the JEA board following controversial text messages from the city council president who nominated him.

The leader of Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida has withdrawn his name for consideration for a spot on the JEA board following controversial text messages from the city council president who nominated him.

City Council President Kevin Carrico is facing backlash after text messages seemed to reveal that part of his motivation to nominate his boss for a position on JEA’s board happened because he owed him a “big favor.”

A halal grocery store on Beach Boulevard that drew backlash over two plans to operate a slaughterhouse received Jacksonville City Council approval for a revised proposal to expand its property without an animal processing facility, according to News4JAX partners at the Jacksonville Daily Record.

The Jacksonville Planning Commission voted Jan. 22 to endorse a compromise plan for expansion of Apna Bazar, a grocery store and market that drew opposition in 2025 over a plan to add a slaughterhouse to its property, our news partners at the Jacksonville Daily Record reported.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is expanding on his plan to eliminate property taxes in Florida — a proposal that is drawing mixed reactions from Jacksonville city council members.

A request to expand a halal grocery store on Beach Boulevard advanced through the Jacksonville City Council Land Use and Zoning Committee after the applicant withdrew a request to build an animal processing facility, according to News4JAX partners at the Jacksonville Daily Record.

A proposed slaughterhouse expansion to a Jacksonville halal grocery store was shut down after months of public pushback and negotiations with the owners, City Council President Kevin Carrico said.

The Jacksonville City Council will consider two different bills Wednesday to give money to a local food bank amid the government shutdown.

The committee, chaired by Councilmember Terrance Freeman and established by Council President Kevin Carrico, was created to enhance communication between city agencies and their partners, focusing on education, mentorship, workforce readiness, and safe community spaces for Jacksonville’s younger population.

Jacksonville City Council members endured a nearly 14-hour meeting that stretched into early Wednesday morning to finalize the city’s budget. The session, which began Tuesday afternoon, wrapped up around 4 a.m., marked by intense debates over a property tax reduction and a controversial budget amendment.

With a packed agenda and razor-thin votes expected on several hot-button issues, the Jacksonville City Council is bracing for what could be a tense and lengthy meeting Tuesday night.

Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico has called for the removal of a city-appointed board member who posted what he calls “hateful rhetoric” regarding the death of Charlie Kirk.

The Jacksonville City Council ended the proposed millage rate debate on Tuesday night with a split vote.

The Jacksonville City Council is set to vote on Tuesday night on an ordinance that would change how free event tickets are distributed among the city’s elected officials.

As Jacksonville city council members approach a vote on the final budget and a proposed millage rate cut, a debate unfolded over the potential impact on road maintenance funding.

On Tuesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized local governments that have proposed budget increases, saying that they should focus on core functions and cut property taxes.

City Council President Kevin Carrico is hosting a news conference on Monday where he is expected to lay out his “bold plan” to lower property taxes and eliminate what he calls unnecessary government spending.

Jacksonville’s Finance Committee is adding back some funding for the Meals on Wheels program. In its final budget hearing, the committee moved forward with $1.7 million for the program after pushback against proposed cuts to Mayor Donna Deegan’s initial budget request.

From Jaguars tickets to concert seats and parking passes, the News4JAX I-TEAM obtained a list released by the City of Jacksonville with detailed information regarding its free ticket distribution, including the names of those who requested tickets, how many they received and the events they attended.

Less than a week after City Council President Kevin Carrico asked another councilman to look into possibly drafting legislation to change how free tickets and perks for events at city-owned venues are distributed among councilmembers, he’s now going against what the councilman proposed and calling for the elimination of the long-held practice related to Jacksonville Jaguars tickets.

A local attorney is calling on the State Attorney’s Office to investigate three Jacksonville City Council members for potential violations of Florida’s Sunshine Law, raising new concerns about transparency inside City Hall.

A prominent Jacksonville city council member is calling some of his colleagues “out of touch” as they push for easier access to perks at a time when the council is cutting some critical community programs.

Mayor Donna Deegan and City Council President Kevin Carrico are going back and forth over the proposed property tax cut by the Finance Committee that was recommended hours before Florida DOGE arrived Thursday.

The owner of the historic Laura Street Trio in Downtown Jacksonville has found a potential new buyer for the long-vacant buildings, Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico said on WJCT’s First Coast Connect on Tuesday.

The Jacksonville Branch of the NAACP says it stands with City Councilman Jimmy Peluso after he boycotted a committee meeting and was then removed from the committee.

Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico, a Republican, announced Tuesday that he had removed a fellow councilman from a council committee after he boycotted the first meeting.

The shift in Jacksonville City Council’s leadership has started its transition.

Jacksonville City Councilman Kevin Carrico is set to take the gavel as council president on July 1. In a recent interview, Carrico shared his vision for the year ahead, emphasizing a focus on youth, public safety, and fiscal responsibility.

Tensions between two prominent Jacksonville city council members reached a boiling point Thursday, with incoming council president Kevin Carrico requesting security.

A social media post made by the Jacksonville City Council president on Thursday sparked questions about police enforcement of local and state immigration laws in the city.

Jacksonville City Council denied a rezoning for a members-only gas station at the Costco at St. Johns Town Center on Tuesday, according to news partner Jacksonville Daily Record.

The shift in Jacksonville City Council’s leadership has started its transition.

At a Tuesday afternoon meeting, members of Jacksonville’s City Council voted for Kevin Carrico to serve as the next president, replacing current president Randy White, who has concluded his year in the position.

With a City Council leadership election approaching, Councilman Matt Carlucci is expressing his concerns about the direction of Jacksonville’s local government. He stated that he has concerns about what he perceives as “pot shots” at the mayor that could set the city back.

Councilman Kevin Carrico will hold a news conference on Wednesday to call for Mayor Donna Deegan to sign the Jacksonville Illegal Immigration Act into law. An hour after Carrico’s news conference, Deegan will hold a separate news conference with community leaders to discuss the immigration bill.

The legislation approved by City Council Tuesday night that aims to crack down on illegal immigration in Jacksonville is now sitting on Mayor Donna Deegan’s desk, who said is still in the process of reviewing it before deciding whether to sign it or not.

The City Council is deciding on the proposed Jacksonville Illegal Immigration Enforcement Act at the Tuesday night meeting.

A proposed Jacksonville Illegal Immigration Enforcement Act is now on its way to a full vote by the Jacksonville City Council.

Two Jacksonville lawmakers are pushing for tougher local immigration policies through two proposed bills.

Jacksonville City Council introduced two bills related to illegal immigration Tuesday. Protesters shared their concern about those bills ahead of that meeting.

Jacksonville City Council Vice President Kevin Carrico filed legislation to ensure the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has the resources needed to enforce illegal immigration laws.

Jacksonville City Council passed an emergency resolution that will encourage the mayor’s office to come to an agreement with a potential new owner of the Laura Street Trio.

The Jacksonville City Council met on Monday to discuss the future of the historic Laura Street Trio. The meeting highlighted the growing tension between city officials and developers over how to resolve the long-standing issues surrounding the vacant buildings.

The city of Jacksonville says it is ending negotiations with the developer of the Laura Street Trio, which means redeveloping that area does not have a path forward for the time being.

The “coming soon” signs around the Laura Street Trio have been in place for, what some say, feels like years. It’s no secret, people are ready to see those signs go down, and the construction go up.

Jacksonville University held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday morning to celebrate the opening of its new College of Law campus downtown.

A new committee looking at the city agency that’s supposed to bring in development to downtown met for the first time Monday. The question many have now is why downtown development is taking so long and what about the future of the Downtown Investment Authority and its leader, Lori Boyer.

The old Jacksonville Landing site is finally getting a makeover. After more than three years of waiting for development, the city of Jacksonville said construction will begin Monday at Riverfront Plaza.

The only thing standing in the way of banning those asking for money on the city’s roadways is Mayor Lenny Curry’s signature.

The city of Jackosnville is looking to crack down on panhandling in the median of roads. This has been an issue all over the city in recent years and the city council is working improve safety.

Three members of the Jacksonville City Council have been re-elected before any ballots are even cast. Each of these council members drew no opponents during the qualifying period for the 2023 city elections. Their new four-year terms will start July 1. All three of these council members are Republicans.

After six years in the making, the doors have opened to a new spot for senior citizens in the Jacksonville area to gather.

Bacteria levels in Pottsburg Creek remain elevated but are decreasing after raw sewage overflowed into the Jacksonville tributary on Sunday, according to a spokesperson for JEA.

New test results show elevated bacteria levels in Pottsburg Creek, where a pump malfunctioned over the weekend at a wastewater site on Holiday Road, the News4JAX I-TEAM has learned.

Jacksonville leaders are speaking out about the ongoing controversy involving large car clubs around the city.

The body of a man found inside a Jacksonville strip club Sunday night will undergo an autopsy Monday to determine how he died, police said.

A Jacksonville adult entertainment club with a documented history of problems may soon have its doors closed for good.

Residents who are upset over a project behind their homes in Jacksonville’s Grove Park neighborhood gathered on Monday evening for a meeting to share their concerns.

State environmental regulators have issued a stern warning to contractors accused of illegally pumping wastewater into wetlands and a nearby Jacksonville waterway.

The I-TEAM on Monday learned that local and state agencies are investigating complaints of illegal dumping into a Jacksonville waterway, and on Tuesday, a city councilman told News4Jax he’s following the situation closely.

I truly care about this city and its residents and will serve them responsibly and passionately. I want to leave the District and the City in a better place than it was when I'm sworn in. COVID-19 presents a unique set of circumstances that will challenge our Nation and our City to ensure the safety of its citizens. I would hope to be remembered as someone that was truly for the people of this district and city. We must make Jacksonville a city for ALL people and acknowledge where we have fallen short.

VP of Operations Kevin Carrico joins us with the importance of the Boys & Girls Club to all young people. Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.